1247 Tasting Notes

So I was expecting strong floral from this one. Imagine my surprise, then, when I opened the pouch and got…coconut! Really strong coconut, as in coconut essence rather than the actual fruit. It actually reminds me of a body shop soap I used to use when I was younger! There’s no faulting the leaves, though. They’re rolled, and a beautiful green-brown with some yellowish stalks. No crushed or broken leaves here. Given that this is called “Orchid” oolong, and Orchid is a flower, I’m still thrown by the strong coconut scent.

I gave the bag three minutes in 180 degree water, after which the liquor is a golden yellow-brown. The scent of coconut is still strong, although there’s a fresh, mineral oolong scent also developing, and maybe a hint of light floral.

The strongest note in the flavour is initially coconut. The middle of the sip is more oolong, however, and is mildly buttery. A delicate floral comes out at the end of the sip, but it’s not nearly as potent as I expected it to be. It’s a heady floral, though, so orchid would fit. Sadly, it’s all but overwhelmed by coconut, which is really far too pungent, and quite oddly so. It really is like someone dumped half a bottle of coconut essence in the cup. Another slight issue is the astringency, which adds a dryness to the end of each sip. It’s not terrible, but paired with the coconut it’s pulling this one down in my estimation. It’s drinkable, but not really for me.

Preparation

Used all but the last teaspoon of this in today’s cold brew. I’m going to be sad when it’s gone, as it’s one of the 52 Teas reblends I’ve liked the most of the ones I’ve tried so far. It’s good hot, but on the strength of the SBT version I really wanted to give it a try cold brewed.

So I did. I used 1.5 tbsp of leaf in 1 litre of water, and put it in the fridge for 10 hours overnight. It’s so good. Maybe even better than the SBT version! I was wondering whether it was going to be worthwhile sacrificing the last of my pouch to a cold brew, but it definitely was. If anything, this one comes alive cold. I can taste blueberries — fresh, sweet, juicy blueberries. I can taste the tang of cream cheese — creamy, cold, slightly savoury. More exciting than both of these, I can taste PASTRY! Buttery, flaky pastry. That’s a flavour I haven’t always been able to detect hot, but it’s here cold. Undeniably.

Am I glad I chose this as today’s cold brew? Certainly! If nothing else can cheer up a dull Friday, this will be able to. I’m saddened that my pouch is now pretty much gone, but at least I’ll have fond memories. In the meantime, I can enjoy the rest of my bottle today. I’ve increased my rating a little to reflect today’s success.

Preparation

I’m giving this a go cold brewed today, since it struck me as something that might potentially work quite well. I used 1.5 tbsp of leaf in 1 litre of water, and set it in the fridge for around 10 hours overnight. My first though is that it’s quite rooibossy — it has a distinctive woodiness that comes through quite strongly in the initial sip. To my tastes, more so than when hot. This is soon replaced with the cool, soothing, refreshing mango and yoghurt flavour that makes this such an accurate representation of the real thing. I do wish the rooibos was a little less prominent, but ultimately it makes a good cold brew. I’m pleased with the amount of mango I am able to taste, and it’s the perfect choice for a hot day like this one :)

Preparation

After my success cold brewing MojiTEA last week, I decided to have a go with a second green. I really liked the SBT Razzleberry, so I pulled out the 52 Teas genmaicha version to try. I used 2 tbsp of leaf in just over a litre of water, and left it in the fridge for about 8 hours. The resulting liquor is a pale yellow-green, and it smells TOASTY. Seriously toasty.

Fridge cold, it also tastes seriously toasty. Almost burnt, really. Underneath the genmaicha is a light berry flavour, although it’s really struggling to compete against the toastiness of the rice. As the burnt flavour fades, the raspberry/blackberry flavour is able to emerge a little more, but not as strongly as I would have liked. The green tea base is smooth and not at all bitter or astringent, though, so I’m pleased about that.

On the whole, I think I’ll be sticking to the SBT version of when I want my iced Razzleberry fix. This is okay, but rather too toasty for me to say I really like it. I have a similar problem with it brewed hot, but somehow I prefer it that way. I’ll finish my bottle of this, but I won’t be cold brewing it again! A worthwhile experiment, though.

Preparation

Gave this a good long brew today, and managed to make it strong enough to take milk. I love this one with milk — it tastes just like a creamsicle! Orange and cream wonderfulness, and the jasmine well toned down. When it’s like this, it’s a dreamy tea :)

Preparation

Given that I’m back to trying to get my cupboard under control, I pulled out a new tea to try last night. This one has been sitting for a little while, so it’s high time it got its chance! I followed the recommended parameters, and used 1.5tsp of leaf in boiling water. I gave it four minutes. While brewing, I can smell cream and spice, primarily.

After four minutes, the liquor was a fairly dark red-brown, so I added a splash of milk. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the taste, but it’s pretty much dead on mango lassi. There’s the slightly sharp creaminess of yoghurt, plenty of cardamom, and the sweet pepperiness of mango. It’s a beautifully natural flavour; subtle but not so much that it’s hard to pick out the flavours. They’re all definitely there.

I’d quite like to try this with a piece of crystal sugar, so that’s on tonight’s agenda. A cold brew could be interesting, too. A new favourite rooibos blend!

Preparation

This was my first attempt at a cold brewed green, which I brought to work last Friday. Steepster wasn’t working for me then, so I couldn’t log it, and it feels like I’ve never had chance until now ever since! I can still remember it, though, so all’s fair.

I bought the bagged version of this one for ease, and used three for a one litre cold brew. I made it right before I went to bed, so the bags had about 8 hours in the water, in the fridge overnight. Looking at the dry leaf, I don’t actually think there’s a huge amount of green tea in this blend; I can mostly see lemongrass. That’s why I wasn’t too nervous about trying it out as a cold brew for the very first time! I also noticed that the leaf in the bags is smaller, with less pieces of dried lime than the loose version. That’s something I’ll bear in mind in future, as I loved how oversized and pretty the loose blend was the first time I purchased a bag!

To taste, this is pretty much as I expected. I can taste a lot of citrus — both from the dried lime pieces, and the lemongrass. There’s also a hint of mint, but it’s not at all overpowering. Just a gentle coolness in the background. Paired with the citrussy flavours, it’s very refreshing. I can taste the green tea base a little — it adds a very, very slight bitterness to the flavour, which actually fits quite well with the sour/sharp lime. Both are delicate flavours, so neither are problematic in that respect. As well as a light lemony citrussiness, the lemongrass also contributes a hay-like sweetness which helps to hold the flavours together.

What I’d like to do with this one is add some rum (although maybe not at work!), or failing that some sparkling water. I think a little alcohol or fizziness would just help to bring it alive a little more. I do like this blend for the summer, though, and I’m glad I picked up a box of these with my recent Bluebird order. It’s a great flavour combination, and very refreshing on a hot day!

A sample from ashleyelizabeth. I thought I’d logged this one, but apparently not! I’ve been experimenting with leaf and brew time for a few days, because somehow I just can’t seem to get this one quite right. *ashleyelizabeth*’s recommendation was for 1.5tsp of leaf in 98 degree water for 3-4 minutes. Unfortunately, I get a fairly astringent brew with little lemon or earl grey flavour when brewed this way. I cooled the water more and shortened the brew time, and that helped a little — 170 degree water for 3 minutes is where I found this most to my liking. There’s a light lemon flavour and a light creaminess, maybe the tiniest hint of earl grey. Sadly, this one isn’t really doing it for me. I’d try it again in the future if I got chance, though.

Preparation

A sample from ashleyelizabeth. I thought this was a green tea for the longest time, so I was quite surprised to find it was actually a rooibos blend. It pays to read the pouch, right? I’ve been drinking this one as my pre-bedtime cup over the last couple of nights, and it’s certainly a fruity treat!

I gave 1 tsp of leaf about 4 minutes in boiling water. No additions. The main flavours I can pick out are mango and papaya. When hot, it’s a very fruity, refreshing cup. As this one cools, the flavouring does pick up a slightly over-the-top, almost artificial kind of flavour. I usually detect this most prominently with peach, as it tastes kind of plastic-like, but I’m getting it slightly here too. It’s not a huge problem — it just means I need to slurp it quickly! I do like the fruitiness here, and how it’s the main flavour rather than the rooibos base, but it’s not my favourite fruity rooibos because of the slight chemically bent to the flavour. The green rooibos is a good base here, though, and it definitely ticks more boxes for me more often that red rooibos does. Food for thought.

This was my favourite of the ML Collection teas last time I tried them. It has a bold black base, which takes milk readily, and which is sweet and slightly malty. There’s a faint hint of chocolate in this tea, and I think it may come from the black tea rather than additional flavouring. The star flavour here is the strong, lychee-like fruitiness, though. It’s rich tasting and almost syrupy, but somehow not overly sweet. It blends really well with the black base, too, melding to become a part of the overall flavour (like the chocolate), rather than a flavouring “on top” of the black tea. There’s a moderate hint of rose in the aftertaste, which leaves a floral, slightly perfume-esque flavour on the tongue. It reminds me fleetingly of turkish delight!

I’m glad to find that one of my previous favourites still scores highly with me! This is a delicious tea that I could see myself drinking at any time of the day, and it’s one of the few ML Collection blends I’d consider reordering. Yum!

Preparation

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Bio

Hi :) I’m Sarah, 27, and I live in Norfolk in the UK. My tea obsession began when a friend introduced me to Teapigs a good few years ago now. Since then, I’ve been insatiable. Steepster introduced me to a world of tea I never knew existed, and my goal is now to TRYALLTHETEAS. Or most of them, anyway.

I still have a deep rooted (and probably life-long) preference for black tea. My all-time favourite is Assam, but Ceylon and Darjeeling also occupy a place in my heart. Flavoured black tea can be a beautiful thing, and I like a good chai latte in the winter.

I also drink a lot of rooibos/honeybush tea, particularly on an evening. Sometimes they’re the best dessert replacements, too. White teas are a staple in summer — their lightness and delicate nature is something I can always appreciate on a hot day.

I’m still warming up to green teas and oolongs. I don’t think they’ll ever be my favourites, with a few rare exceptions, but I don’t hate them anymore. My experience of these teas is still very much a work-in-progress. I’m also beginning to explore pu’erh, both ripened and raw. That’s ny latest challenge!

I’m still searching for the perfect fruit tea. One without hibiscus. That actually tastes of fruit.

In addition to Steepster, I also write for the SororiTea Sisters. My reviews there will typically be posted here also, although typically in a shorter format. Any teas I’m sent specifically for review will only appear in full on the SororiTea Sisters website, with only a short introduction and link to my review here.

You’ve probably had enough of me now, so I’m going to shut up. Needless to say, though, I really love tea. Long may the journey continue!

My rating system:

91-100: The Holy Grail. Flawless teas I will never forget.

81-90: Outstanding. Pretty much perfection, and happiness in a cup.

71-80: Amazing. A tea to savour, and one I’ll keep coming back to.

61-70: Very good. The majority of things are as they should be. A pleasing cup.

51-60: Good. Not outstanding, but has merit.

41-50: Average. It’s not horrible, but I’ve definitely had better. There’s probably still something about it I’m not keen on.

31-40: Almost enjoyable, but something about it is not for me.

11-30: Pretty bad. It probably makes me screw my face up when I take a sip, but it’s not completely undrinkable.